Josh Jackson – Noteworthy
As longtime assistant college football coaches on the recruiting trail, Fred Jackson and Michael Locksley occasionally went after the same high school players. Their professional rivalry grew into a friendship despite a 20-year difference in their ages. That relationship, which began in the early 2000s when Jackson was in the midst of a 23-year career at Michigan and Locksley was in his first stint at Maryland, helped the 49-year-old Locksley land his biggest recruit since being hired in December. Jackson’s son, Virginia Tech quarterback Josh Jackson, announced via Twitter on Monday that he committed to the Terps. A redshirt sophomore, the younger Jackson is expected to graduate this spring and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Fred Jackson said Wednesday that his friendship with and respect for Locksley were the biggest reasons he encouraged his son to pick Maryland over the two dozen schools pursuing him, including Florida State, UCLA and Utah. “When you put your kid in another coach’s hands, I wanted Josh to know that I know the coach,” Fred Jackson said. “I knew Locks and I always thought he had a great offensive mind. I knew the things they did at Alabama, Josh can do.” Josh said Thursday his father was “pretty adamant” about him giving Maryland serious consideration over schools with longer and more successful histories of success. “He knows Locks, and being in the Big Ten, it was something to look at and check out,” the younger Jackson said. “That’s what kind of got it going.” – The Baltimore Sun
Josh Jackson – Noteworthy
Jackson might be the best quarterback Maryland has had as a junior since Scott McBrien. It’s been a long time since a Maryland quarterback threw for comparable stats as a freshman to what Jackson did in 2017, when he was second behind fellow redshirt freshman Jake Fromm of Georgia in most categories. As a true freshman in 2010, Danny O’Brien completed 192 of 337 passes for 2,438 yards with 22 touchdowns. While O’Brien’s career fizzled out with the departure of coach Ralph Friedgen and offensive coordinator James Franklin after the 2010 season, Locksley eventually turned O’Brien’s backup, C.J. Brown, into one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in Maryland history.
Given the talent at running back and wide receiver, if Maryland’s rebuilt offensive line can protect Jackson better than Virginia Tech did when he was a redshirt freshman (22 sacks), the Terps could have a potent attack. Fully recovered from the broken leg he suffered in the third game last season, Jackson has the chance to put up similar numbers to what McBrien did during his two years as a Terp. – The Baltimore Sun